Absolute Beginner Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi. I'm very new to playing the bass - I bought an Epiphone Viola only 3 weeks ago and am loving playing it ! I just wanted to get people's take on this; do you feel that you need a natural aptitude to be able to play the bass or do you really think that you can learn and develop if, like me at the moment, it doesn't feel that easy.....?! At the moment, being able to play scales seems a long way off ! Anyway, I'd really appreciate any comments you have. It would be great to hear from others like me, whom started from scratch with no absolutely no experience, stuck with it and playing the bass is now paying dividends. Cheers, Fraser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) It's an interesting point you raise, I'll sit on the fence and say (in my case) a bit of both! Clearly I can only speak from my experience, I think it useful to have some natural "timing" with regards to listening to the feel/rhythm of music but conversely, with time and effort spent practicing I believe you can definitely develop your skills as a musician. I was quite lucky that my right hand technique was very easy for me to develop/quite natural - the left hand was a tad trickier and indeed I'm still working on! Seriously, I've been playing in bands/gigging for around 24 years or so and still love learning new stuff and challenging myself to work hard at achieving the right result - the only regret I have is not learning how to read music - I play totally by ear and feel - learning to read is on my to do list for 2014, it's good to have objectives and goals. Edited for typo Edited January 15, 2014 by Thor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 So-called natural ability might come in handy but, either way, if you practice you get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 If you want to be good, you'll need some natural aptitude. There are degrees of natural aptitude tho..... But the more you play and listen, the better chance you give yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 [quote name='Absolute Beginner' timestamp='1389824293' post='2338446'] Hi. I'm very new to playing the bass - I bought an Epiphone Viola only 3 weeks ago and am loving playing it ! I just wanted to get people's take on this; do you feel that you need a natural aptitude to be able to play the bass or do you really think that you can learn and develop if, like me at the moment, it doesn't feel that easy.....?! At the moment, being able to play scales seems a long way off ! Anyway, I'd really appreciate any comments you have. It would be great to hear from others like me, whom started from scratch with no absolutely no experience, stuck with it and playing the bass is now paying dividends. Cheers, Fraser. [/quote] Hi Fraser, Speaking as someone who picked up the bass 10 years ago, which to you sounds like forever but to many on here it's only last week! There's a certain understanding that can come naturally, it's all mainly about how you as a person pick things up, if you're a fast learner and work at things, you'll notice improvements quicker, it will give the feeling of natural ability. I felt like I was the next bass prodigy but in hindsight I just worked hard and luckily I pick things up quickly. Speaking as a bass teacher, there are people who seem to be able to pick a bass up and with no prior knowledge can play it to an extent. I'd recommend finding yourself a good teacher, if you're local to Portsmouth then send me an email at [email protected] and we can chat, if not I'd recommend looking on places such as musicteachers.co.uk or uk-guitar-teachers.co.uk. Best of luck Fraser James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Depends what you want to do at the moment and how much you want to do it. Without practice and experience you won't know if you have natural aptitude for music anyway. You need a good tutor to put you on the right path and give you manageable targets. Your tastes and ideas will develop and change over time and you'll start to find out whether you are happy emulating your musical heroes or deciding your own aesthetic for the instrument. Patience, practice, and lots of listening and interpreting - all done because you are enthusiastic and loving it - will pay off and you'll be better than a lazy person with natural aptitude. But patience is the key. You will plateau, you'll get frustrated, you'll break your own boundaries, and you will never stop learning and surprising yourself. You'll hopefully derive much joy from it. Best of luck man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Yes, but not really You need some motor and co-ordination skills which some people have and some rant as good at. and you need to be able to listen and hear well - which some can do and some can't as well but that's where you start - and everything can be overcome with practice and just playing with other people and learning - and you'll still have your strengths and weaknesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 [quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1389829136' post='2338535'] Hi Fraser, 10 years ago to you sounds like forever but to many on here it's only last week! James [/quote] Makes sense........ Indeed....... I gotcha....... Actually I'm lost. Are these people in some kind of suspended animation or something. Am I one of them. If so I'm suing somebody. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Join a band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Its like everything, some people are good and some people are not so good. The reasons for this vary from person to person. There is no satisfying answer to this question but I promise you this, if you choose to play the bass well it's not beyond the grasp of even the most talentless moron. Get rhythm, if you don't already got some, without it you are wasting your time. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 [quote name='the boy' timestamp='1389830310' post='2338549'] Makes sense........ Indeed....... I gotcha....... Actually I'm lost. Are these people in some kind of suspended animation or something. Am I one of them. If so I'm suing somebody. lol [/quote] You take the blue pill and this all ends and you wake up in your bed, you take the red pill and you stay in wonderland and I'll show you how deep the rabbit goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I started of from scratch last year. I have zero natural aptitude or ability in anyway. I have no rhythm. My hands while not small, have very bad dexterity. My coordination is terrible. I have little patience for learning certain things such as theory. However what I do have is a determination not to give up and after 8 months of practicing most days to the point my hand hurts in varies places. I'm starting to get somewhere. And all aspects of my playing have greatly improved and I was even complimented by another bass player recently. I pick up and play something that I really thought when I started would be impossible for me. I'm lacking the natural ability to become a genius or great on the bass I know that will never happen. But I'm now sure that with enough practice and time most people can achieve a decent enough level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Absolute Beginner' timestamp='1389824293' post='2338446'] Hi. I'm very new to playing the bass - I bought an Epiphone Viola only 3 weeks ago and am loving playing it ! I just wanted to get people's take on this; do you feel that you need a natural aptitude to be able to play the bass or do you really think that you can learn and develop if, like me at the moment, it doesn't feel that easy.....?! At the moment, being able to play scales seems a long way off ! Anyway, I'd really appreciate any comments you have. It would be great to hear from others like me, whom started from scratch with no absolutely no experience, stuck with it and playing the bass is now paying dividends. Cheers, Fraser. [/quote] Good evening, Frazer, and welcome to the forum... Every single one of us here, as well as all the musicians you've ever heard, started exactly as you have: right from square one. Whilst it may be true that some have more aptitude than others, absolutely all have got where they are by practice, some more than others. Most would recommend getting some early lessons from a good bass teacher, at least to get you started. Nothing will be too difficult for you, and progress will be much speedier. After that, it's up to you. Whether others have more or less 'natural ability' will become irrelevant; it's [i]your [/i]ability which will count. Good luck and enjoy the journey. Edited January 16, 2014 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I think you need a degree of musical aptitude to play any instrument but I think that can sometimes be included under the umbrella of really loving music in the first place. In fact the more you love music the more passionate you'll end up becoming about your instrument and it will feed your desire to drive yourself forward when learning. There are plenty of hurdles in place too, for example the frustration of not being able to play right away or feeling like playing scales is a million miles off. You've got to battle through all that. I remember the first time I picked up my new bass that my parents bought me 12 years back and coming up with something vaguely musical right off. I think I was trying to play it like an electric guitar, my older sister who had long been a bass player showed me that what I was doing was fine but I probably needed a few 'technical' adjustments. But don't be afraid to experiment, just bask in the glory of learning a new instrument! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Years ago I heard a radio discussion with a music professor who said some people do have a natural aptitude for a certain instrument. Like some people find it easy to learn foreign languages. I tried trumpet and guitar before I came to bass. It's never easy at the start, but you should be enjoying it and making some progress, however slow. The question is how long you keep going before you realise it's not the one. I struggled with guitar for 30 years on and off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 [quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1389833411' post='2338584'] I tried trumpet and guitar before I came to bass. [/quote] Hey, so did I. [quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1389833411' post='2338584'] It's never easy at the start, but you should be enjoying it and making some progress, however slow. [/quote] If one is enjoying it, the progress will follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyvee Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I recall reading somewhere a Chick Corea interview where he was asked about natural ability and the gist of what he responded with was that natural ability only gives you a head start and unless you practice you won't maintain that advantage. Jazzyvee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 If you've played any musical instrument before, it will be an advantage but not a necessity. Natural aptitude is also not a necessity. The main thing that will keep you playing (and therefore improving) will be your enjoyment of it. The first few weeks will probably be the hardest - it's going to hurt your fingers until they are toughened up a bit. This is a stage you need to get through while retaining your enthusiasm, just don't over-do it and "burn out". Keep enjoying it and you will improve, whatever your natural aptitude is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
achknalligewelt Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I tell all my bass students, the most important thing you need is to want to practice, and to not be put off by not being very good for what feels like a long, long time. Bass is good for this, as learning to bash out a line of root notes in 8's along to a Clash track is a pretty attainable target for a beginner, and very quickly you'll feel like you can actually play the thing. Then come scales, then the Beatles, then ultimately, the world's your oyster. If you practice. And practice. And practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHW Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) My daughter seemed to have a natural aptitude- she decided she wanted to play when she was 14 and although she has not kept to it as I'd have liked it's one of the few things she actually acknowledges that I still understand. I was musical, but have really had to work at technique- whereas that has come naturally to her, she was able to play all of the riffs to Another one bites the Dust in her 1st hour lesson. I suppose she did have me teaching her, whereas I fudged about in the dark. I was able to teach her some great grooves and accessible basslines but the way she picked it up was impressive. within 3 months of starting she was able to play Man who sold the world, at an open mic night with me on acoustic guitar playing in front of a room full of musicians. It took me probably 18 months to attain the standard she managed in 6. She also adapted a groove I taught her as a GSCE music composition, gaining a grade B. I suspect, that if she ever decided to take it seriously (an hours well structured practice for an hour a night for 18 months or so) that she would eclipse the level I can play at now pretty quickly. Here's us on stage with the ceilidh band, about a year after she started playing (yes I forgot a guitar strap) Edited January 16, 2014 by CHW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML94 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Build upon your natural talent and I'm sure you get better (Well that's my plan) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 In the bands that I see, I think it simply boils down to this... there are bassists and there are people who play the bass. One has a more inherent creativeness (this, I don't think comes with practice - it may develop over time but if it is not there in the first place it's just not there) while the other has a more "paint by numbers" approach and plays what they have to in order for there to be a bass line in the song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 [quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1389831650' post='2338573'] I started of from scratch last year. I have zero natural aptitude or ability in anyway. I have no rhythm. My hands while not small, have very bad dexterity. My coordination is terrible. I have little patience for learning certain things such as theory. However what I do have is a determination not to give up and after 8 months of practicing most days to the point my hand hurts in varies places. I'm starting to get somewhere. And all aspects of my playing have greatly improved and I was even complimented by another bass player recently. I pick up and play something that I really thought when I started would be impossible for me. I'm lacking the natural ability to become a genius or great on the bass I know that will never happen. But I'm now sure that with enough practice and time most people can achieve a decent enough level. [/quote] This echoes my experience in many ways. Started from scratch 3 years ago and have been practising like buggery ever since. Especially in the first year. I do think I was blessed with a natural sense of rhythm though. I don't seem to struggle with that. It's just all the rest of it, especially speed and dexterity. It's well worth sticking with though. It's so gratifying to notice even small improvements. Like Twincam I have had a few compliments on my playing, which both surprises and delights me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolute Beginner Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks all for your comments. I really appreciate it. Although, I love playing my Viola bass, I'm not overkeen on the whole neck dive issue, or the fact that it leans forward quite a bit if playing when standing up. In some ways now, I'm not sure whether I should have opted for one of my other bass choices though, ie: Epiphone EB3 Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Just out of interest, does anyone own one of the two basses ? If so, would you recommend them, or do they suffer from the above issues ? I must admit, given their relatively low cost, I could be tempted in buying one of them once I have developed and feel more confident. Thanks again, Fraser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyvee Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1389892488' post='2339236'] In the bands that I see, I think it simply boils down to this... there are bassists and there are people who play the bass. One has a more inherent creativeness (this, I don't think comes with practice - it may develop over time but if it is not there in the first place it's just not there) while the other has a more "paint by numbers" approach and plays what they have to in order for there to be a bass line in the song. [/quote] Yep I go along with that although I think some who "play bass" can still exert some creativity in how they interpret the bass lines they copy. Edited January 16, 2014 by jazzyvee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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